Apparatus for cooling goods

ABSTRACT

An arrangement suitable for cooling goods includes a controller with a database in which at least one time interval and one desired temperature value valid in the time interval is stored. A regulator function is implemented in the controller, via which function the temperature, returned to the controller via a temperature sensor, of a thermally insulated interior is regulated to the desired temperature value as a function of the time interval by activation or deactivation of a cooling device. Since the goods—for example filled drinks—are only available cooled during the time interval, energy is conserved and the emission of carbon dioxide thus also reduced.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and hereby claims priority to EuropeanApplication No. EP 06121429 filed on Sep. 28, 2006, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Arrangements suitable for cooling drinks filled for example in cans,bottles, cartons or foil pouches in a sales outlet or bar or in sportsor leisure areas are basically suitable for cooling goods which do notincur any damage within the envisaged storage period in the arrangementeven if the temperature in the arrangement were to increase to ambienttemperature. From WO 03/004950 A an arrangement of this type is known bywhich products are cooled and frost is created on their surface.Operation of known arrangements of this type consumes a relatively largeamount of energy, and this is usually associated with a correspondinglyhigh emission of carbon dioxide.

SUMMARY

An aspect is an arrangement by which filled drinks are available cooledas required, but of which the operation requires as little energy aspossible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects and advantages will become more apparent andmore readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplaryembodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an apparatus for cooling drinks,

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the apparatus, a controller,

FIG. 3 is a front view of a user interface of the controller, and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the controller.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinlike reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

In FIG. 1 reference numeral 1 designates a thermally insulated housingof an arrangement, shown in a cut side elevation, for cooling goods, inparticular for cooling drinks. The housing 1 includes at least oneadvantageously transparent door 2 through which the goods on offer canbe seen on the one hand and which allows access to at least one shelf 3,3 a or 3 b arranged in the interior 6 of the housing 1 on the otherhand.

In a variant the housing 1 is part of a goods vending machine, forexample a drinks vending machine, which after selection and paymentthereof releases goods, for example a drinks can, in a known manner viaan opening provided in the housing 1.

At least one light source 4 or 5 is arranged on the housing 1. By way ofexample a first light source 4 is positioned in such a way that itslight falls on goods stacked on the shelves 3, 3 a and 3 b and makesthem easily visible through the transparent housing wall embodied hereas a door 2. The second light source 5 is advantageously arranged on thehousing 1 in such a way that its light directs attention to thearrangement for cooling drinks even in a darkened environment.

Portioned drinks 7, which, for example, are filled in cans, bottles,cartons or foil pouches, are stacked on the shelf 3, 3 a or 3 b.

The arrangement also comprises a cooling device and a controller 8. Thecooling device is embodied for example by a refrigerator comprising acompressor 9 and an evaporator 10. A fan 11 for circulating the air inthe interior 6 is advantageously active in the region of the evaporator10. A temperature sensor 12 is also arranged in the interior 6 tomeasure the temperature υ_(R) in the interior 6 of the housing 1. Toreduce thermal load the compressor 9 is advantageously not housed in thethermally insulated interior 6 of the housing 1.

The controller 8 is arranged for example in the interior 6 of thehousing 1. In a further variant the controller 8 is provided on theoutside of the housing 1.

FIG. 2 shows the controller 8 in slightly more detail, connections tofurther devices also being shown. The controller 8 comprises at leastone microcomputer 20, a first switch 21 connected to the second lightsource 5, a second switch 22 connected to the first light source 4, athird switch 23 connected to the compressor 9, a fourth switch 24connected to the fan 11, an interface 25 connected to the temperaturesensor 12 and a database 26 that can be read and changed by amicrocomputer 20. If required the temperature sensor 12 isadvantageously fed by the controller 8 via the interface 25. In anadvantageous variant the controller 8 also comprises a communicationinterface 27 advantageously connected to the microcomputer 20.

The microcomputer 20 is, for example, a microprocessor programmed forits use, with required program and data storage units as well as inputand output ports. The switches 21, 22, 23 and 24 of the controller 8 areelectronic or electromechanical switches, as required, which can becontrolled by the microcomputer 20.

Data can be exchanged between the regulator 8 and an external device 29via the communication interface 27 and a communication medium 28. Thecommunication medium 28 is, for example, a telephone network, a datanetwork, the internet or a radio link.

An exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3 of a user interface of thecontroller 8 comprises a display unit 30 and input elements 34 a, 34 b,34 c and 34 d implemented for example by buttons. The display unit 30advantageously allows symbols 31 a, 31 b and 31 c, diagrams 32 a,additional information 32 b and user instructions 33 to be displayed.

The arrangement can for example also be regarded as a refrigerator whichis equipped with the controller 8 and is thereby optimized, with respectto energy consumption, for an application profile that can be selectedwithin wide limits.

The temperature υ_(R) in the interior 6 of the housing 1 is regulated toan adjustable desired value υ_(C), and thereby actively cooled, by thecontroller 8 only as a function of freely selectable periods. Iftherefore the goods should be available cooled daily from 09:00 until19:00 for example, and the goods are not perishable, a regulatorfunction of the controller 8 is advantageously programmed in such a waythat the temperature υ_(R) reaches the desired value υ_(C) from 09:00 to19:00 only respectively and cooling is omitted during the remainingperiods, and this makes a significant energy saving possible. FIG. 4shows activities of the controller 8 in conjunction with thecontrollable switches 21, 22, 23 and 24, the interface 25, thecommunication interface 27, the display unit 30, the input elements 34and the database 26.

In the type of illustration for data flow diagrams selected for FIG. 4and known from the literature (for example D. J. Hatley, I. A. Pirbhai:Strategies for Real-Time System Specification, Dorset House, N.Y. 1988)a circle denotes an activity, a rectangle an adjoining system orsub-system and an arrow a channel for transmitting data and/or events,the arrow head pointing substantially in the data flow direction. Amemory, which, in general, is available to a plurality of activities, isshown by two parallel lines with the same length. The term “memory” inthis case denotes a device for storing data which also comprises meansfor preventing conflicts in the case of simultaneous access of aplurality of activities to the data. By way of example an arrangementcomprising two activities connected by a channel is, moreover,equivalent to a single activity which fulfils all functions of the twoactivities. An activity can generally be divided into a plurality ofactivities connected by channels and/or memories. Further terms used inthe literature of data flow diagrams are “terminator” for the adjoiningsystem or sub-system, “process” or “task” for the activity, “data flow”or “channel” for the channel and “pool” or “data pool” for the memory.

An activity can be implemented as an electronic circuit or in terms ofsoftware for example as a process, method, part of a program or routine,the activity in an embodiment in terms of software also comprising thetarget hardware.

A time interval t_(a) _(—) t_(b) during which the goods stored in theinterior 6 should be available cooled is stored in the database 26. Thedesired temperature value υ_(C) to which the temperature υ_(R) of theinterior 6 is to be regulated by the controller 8 during the timeinterval t_(a) _(—) t_(b) is also stored in the database 26.

The time interval t_(a) _(—) t_(b) is advantageously defined by a starttime t_(a) and an end time t_(e) or by the start time t_(a) and aduration.

In the first variant of the controller 8 the time interval t_(a) _(—)t_(b) applies repeated for every day respectively. In further variantsthe time interval t_(a) _(—) t_(b) is based on a week day, a work day, abank holiday or a calendar day respectively. If required furthervariants can be implemented in which for example a rest interval t_(Pa)_(—) t_(Pb) stored in the database 26 is defined in which the coolingdevice is not enabled, i.e. the temperature υ_(R) of the interior 6 isnot regulated. The rest interval t_(Pa) _(—) t_(Pb) is advantageouslystored in the database 26 by a rest start t_(Pa) and a rest end t_(Pe).

The temperature υ_(R) of the interior 6, returned to the controller 8via the temperature sensor 12, is regulated to the desired temperaturevalue υ_(C) by a regulator function 42, which can be disposed in thecontroller 8, as a function of the time interval t_(a) _(—) t_(b) byactivation or deactivation of the cooling device.

The cooling device can advantageously be controlled by the regulatorfunction 42 in such a way that the desired temperature value υ_(C) isreached in the interior 6 at the latest at the start time t_(a) of thetime interval t_(a) _(—) t_(b). If required enabling of the refrigeratoris also controlled as a function of the thermal capacity of the goods inaddition to as a function of the start time t_(a). The refrigerator isadvantageously switched off by the optimized regulator function apredetermined period before the end time t_(e) is reached, the periodsubstantially being adapted to the thermal capacity of the goods, thethermal insulation of the housing and anticipated user behavior when thegoods are removed.

A demand for cold that can be triggered by the regulator function 42 isachieved by way of example by activation of the compressor 9 via thethird switch 23.

The fan 11 that can be switched on and off via the fourth switch 24 andby which air in the interior 6 can be circulated is advantageouslyswitched on by the regulator function 42 at the same time as a demandfor cold to the refrigerator respectively and is advantageously switchedoff again a predetermined period following deactivation of therefrigerator. In one variant of the regulator function 42 the fan 11 isalso briefly periodically switched on respectively in periods in whichthe refrigerator is deactivated.

The light source 4 or 5, which can be switched on or off via the firstswitch 21 and/or the second switch 22, is automatically switched on atthe start time t_(a) of the time interval t_(a) _(—) t_(b) and switchedoff at the end time t_(e) by a light controller 41 that can be disposedin the controller 8, whereby additional energy can be conserved.

A calendar that is advantageously stored in the database 26 and towhich, if required, instances of the time interval t_(a) _(—) t_(b)and/or instances of the rest interval t_(Pa) _(—) P_(b) are bound, canbe updated by a clock 44 that can be disposed in the controller 8.

By way of example the time interval t_(a) _(—) t_(b) can be selectedfrom predefined intervals, which are proposed on the display unit 30, byoperator guidance 40 that can be disposed in the controller 8 andassociated with the display unit 30 and the input elements 34. In onevariant of the operator guidance 40 the start time t_(a) and the endtime t_(e) of the time interval t_(a) _(—) t_(b) and/or the rest startt_(Pa) and the rest end t_(Pe) of the rest interval t_(Pa) _(—) t_(Pb)can also be freely selected. The operator guidance 40 also allowsselection or alteration of the desired temperature value υ_(C).

The communication interface 27 can be operated by a communication driver43 that can be disposed in the controller 8. The communication driver 43makes it possible for example for the external device 29 (FIG. 2) toanalyze the database 26 for servicing purposes.

A description has been provided with particular reference to preferredembodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood thatvariations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scopeof the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C”as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may beused, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 358 F3d 870, 69USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).

1-12. (canceled)
 13. An apparatus suitable for cooling goods,comprising: a thermally insulating housing surrounding an interiorcapable of receiving the goods; a controller; a cooling devicecontrolled by the controller; a temperature sensor arranged in theinterior of the thermally insulating housing and used by the controllerfor measuring temperature of the interior; a clock disposed in thecontroller; and a database disposed in the controller and in which arestored a desired temperature value valid in time intervals, timeinterval from a start time to an end time, and a regulator functionexecutable by the controller which regulates the temperature of theinterior, returned by the temperature sensor to the controller, to thedesired temperature value as a function of the time interval byactivation or deactivation of the cooling device.
 14. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 13, wherein the cooling device is controlled by theregulator function to attain the desired temperature value in theinterior at the start time of the time interval and in that the coolingdevice is switched off by the optimized regulator function apredetermined period before the end time is reached.
 15. The apparatusas claimed in claim 14, further comprising a fan switched on and off bythe controller and through which air in the interior is circulated, thecontroller automatically switching the fan on at a time of a demand forcold from the cooling device and switching the fan off a predeterminableperiod following deactivation of the cooling device.
 16. The apparatusas claimed in claim 15, further comprising at least one light sourceautomatically switched on by the controller at the start time of thetime interval and switched off at the end time.
 17. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 16, further comprising an input/output unit via whichthe start time and the end time of the time interval can be selected.18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the desiredtemperature value can be changed via the input/output unit.
 19. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the time interval can bedefined as a function of a day during a week.
 20. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 19, wherein the time interval can be defined as afunction of a calendar day.
 21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20,wherein the database stores a rest interval, including a rest start anda rest end, and wherein the controller deactivates the cooling device asa function of the rest interval.
 22. The apparatus as claimed in claim21, further comprising a user interface, by which the time interval canbe selected from predefined intervals.
 23. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 22, wherein the apparatus is connected to an external device, andfurther comprising a communication interface via which the database canbe read by the external device.
 24. The apparatus as claimed in claim23, wherein the goods are, portioned drinks and further comprising atleast one shelf arranged in the interior of the thermally insulatinghousing on which the portioned drinks can be stacked.